Court Says Taxi System Complies With Disabilities Law

A federal appeals court panel ruled on Thursday that New York City’s taxi system complied with federal disabilities law, rebuffing a class-action suit brought by advocates for disabled passengers that had threatened to jumble an already uncertain future for the city’s taxicabs.

“Plaintiffs contend that the T.L.C. violates the A.D.A. because it could require more taxis to be accessible, but does not,” the ruling said.

“No doubt, more such taxis would be on the streets if the T.L.C. required more of them to be accessible. But the T.L.C.’s failure to use its regulatory authority does not amount to discrimination within the meaning of the A.D.A. or its regulations.”

Currently, about 230 yellow taxis are wheelchair accessible. The sale of an additional 2,000 medallions, which the city expected to generate $1 billion as part of an effort to expand street hail service throughout the five boroughs, was delayed after a State Supreme Court justice temporarily blocked the plan this month. The fate of the sale, and the city’s livery taxi plan, remain uncertain.

A ruling against the city on Thursday could have affected the introduction of the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow. Beginning as soon as the end of 2013, medallion owners will be required by the Taxi and Limousine Commission to buy the Nissan NV 200. The cars will be phased in over three to five years, with exceptions for wheelchair-accessible cabs, but the Nissans are not wheelchair accessible themselves without modifications.

In a statement on Thursday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, “Nothing in the A.D.A. compels the city to require that taxis be wheelchair accessible.

“This ruling is consistent with common sense and the practical needs of both the taxi industry and the disabled, and we will continue our efforts to assist disabled riders.”

The city is close to unveiling a dispatch service that will allow passengers in wheelchairs to arrange for a pickup. Many wheelchair users in the city also use Access-A-Ride, provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

But advocates say such services often fall short. Edith Prentiss of the Taxis for All Campaign, a plaintiff in the suit, said the dispatch system “was, and is, a joke.” She added that the commission “will not be able to placate the disability community with this kind of second-class segregated service.”

James Weisman, the general counsel for the United Spinal Association, another plaintiff, invoked the Jim Crow era in response to the ruling.

“In the Jim Crow South, blacks were given separate inferior facilities and services,” Mr. Weisman said. “This mayor treats people with disabilities in a similar fashion.”

A version of this article appears in print on June 29, 2012, on page A22 of the New York edition with the headline: Court Says Taxi System Complies With Disabilities Law. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe